Low-altitude observations of the evolution of substorm injection boundaries

Journal Article · Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/92JA01692· OSTI ID:6584260

Sanchez, E R; Mauk, B H; Newell, P T; Meng, C I ^[1]

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1. Johns Hopkins Univ., Laurel, MD (United States)

The authors have studied ion and electron precipitation and magnetic field perturbations in the auroral oval during substorms by means of the low-altitude polar-orbiting satellites DMSP F6 and F7. They discuss in detail two examples where the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling shows different responses in terms of particle precipitation and field-aligned currents. The two events are from November 29, 1984 and November 1, 1984. The major difference observed is in the growth of the keV energy ion precipitation flux in the plasma sheet. In one case the intensity growth is limited to a narrow latitudinal region near the poleward edge of the region 2 current system. In the other case it covers a much wider latitudinal span, within which ion energies are estimated to reach 15 keV, and electron precipitation events are also observed, where electron energies are typically 500 eV. The authors describe the time development of these events as recorded by ion and electron precipitation signatures through growth, expansion, and recovery. Because of similarities of the ion spectra within the substorm and the plasma sheet, they infer that portions of the plasma sheet have detached from the bulk of the plasma sheet.

• OSTI ID: 6584260
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 98:A4; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AURORAL OVAL
MAGNETIC BAYS
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
ELECTRON PRECIPITATION
COUPLING
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
EXPANSION
INJECTION
IONOSPHERE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLASMA SHEET
SATELLITES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
INTAKE
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
661320* - Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena- (1992-)